I grew up in a big Italian-American family, so my love for pasta is part of my blood. Growing up, I was vegetarian and pasta was one of my main food groups, so my mom used to sneak veggies into it so I could get my dose of fiber, vitamins, protein + all of the other good stuff! Pasta Primavera is a classic Italian- American dish filled with fresh vegetables and it’s something that I always love to make as a quick dinner meal when I have veggies in the fridge that I need to get rid of!
This recipe can be adapted to whatever vegetables you have in your fridge, but I love to use a colorful blend of carrots, squash, zucchini, green peas, asparagus and heirloom cherry tomatoes. I love a light and creamy sauce with Pasta Primavera and my go-to sauce is a Cashew alternative to the traditional alfredo, which tastes just the same if not better than the real thing in my opinion. Vegan Garlic Alfredo Sauce is waaay healthier and you don’t feel so full that you can’t move after the dairy overload you get from normal alfredo sauce, plus it’s packed full of protein!
I hope that you enjoy this pasta dish as much as I do! It is perfect for warm weather dinners enjoyed on your backyard patio and paired with a glass of white.
PASTA PRIMAVERA WITH GARLIC CASHEW ALFREDO SAUCE
INGREDIENTS
- 8 ounces of fresh or dried pasta of your choice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup carrots, shaved or chopped
- 1/2 cup zucchini, shaved or chopped
- 1/2 yellow squash, shaved or chopped
- 1/2 cup asparagus, chopped and ends removed
- 1 cup heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup frozen green peas
- For the Vegan Garlic Cashew Alfredo Sauce, check out the original recipe from The Vegan 8
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Shaved parmesan or vegan parmesan alternative, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Prepare the vegetables. Chop or shave the carrots, zucchini and yellow squash. To shave the vegetables, use a veggie peeler and shave down the vegetable lengthwise in long strips for flat veggie noodles that will combine well with your pasta. Chop the asparagus into 2 inch pieces and slice the cherry tomatoes in half.
- Fill a large pot with water and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and boil according to instructions.
- Prepare the Vegan Garlic Cashew Alfredo Sauce according to the recipe.
- In the meantime, heat a large fry pan with 1tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and stir for 1 minute. Add all of the vegetables and cook for 3-4 minutes until the asparagus is tender. Add Salt & Pepper to Taste.
- Drain the pasta and combine it with the vegetables. Add the Vegan Garlic Cashew Alfredo Sauce and gently stir until combined. Top it off with lemon zest, freshly chopped basil and shaved parmesan or a vegan parmesan alternative. Enjoy!
